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(No Model.) 2 Sheets,-Sheefs 1.,

W. T. BAKER, A. S. LOVETT & O. D. VAN ETTEN. APPARATUS FOR EMBALMING.

No. 317,703. Patented May 12, 1885.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. T. BAKER. A. S. LOVETT & G. D. VAN ETTEN.

APPARATUS FOR EMBALMING. v

A am N. PETERS. Pholv-Lithographcr, Washington, D. C-

Ihvrrn STATES PATENT tribe.

WILLIAM T. BAKER, ARTHUR S. LOVETT, AND CHARLES D. VAN ETTEN, OF

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE ERIE EMBALMING GOM- PANY, ()F SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR EM BALMING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,703, dated May 12, 1885.

Application filed June 30, 1884. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM T. BAKER, ARTHUR S. LOVETT, and CHARLES D. VAN E'ITEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Treating-Gases for Embalming Dead Bodies; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

lo exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus for treating dead bodies to arrest and suspend putrefaction and decay therein, and particularly to portable treating-cases for such purposes.

The objects of our invention are, first, to provide a treating-case the bottom and cover of which are hinged in their centers so as to permit of their being folded together so as to occupy the smallest possible space when not 2 5 in use; second, to construct a bellows for a treating-case with a double set of adjustable valves, so that it will operate both as a force and exhaust bellows at the will of the operator; third, to provide the bottom of a treating- 0 case with a doubleacting bellows adapted both to force air into said case and exhaust it therefrom; fourth, to provide in a treatingcase an adjustable rest for the head of the body; fifth, to provide in a treating-case 3 5 hinged supports for the flexible cover of such case, so as to prevent its contact with a body placed therein; sixth, to provide a treatingcase with adjustable clamps for clamping the flexible cover to the bottom of the case.

Other features of our invention appear hereinafter in the specification and claims. We accomplish these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows our improved treating-case in elevation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same in elevation with the legs detached therefrom. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of our device with part of the legs broken away. Fig. 4 is a side view of our apparatus as it appears when folded up. Fig. 5 is a view in elevation, part in section, of our improved adjustable clamp, with its attachments.

Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

In the construction of our improved apparatus for treating dead bodies we construct the bottom frame in two sections,A A, hinged together at or near its center by hinges B on either side thereof. This frame is mounted upon hinged legs O (l, which are arranged to fold up inside of the under part of the frame A A, and hinged at such an angle that when they are turned down to support the frame A A they will stand at an angle to each other, so that they will retain their proper positions Without braces.

Inside of the frame A A is placed an air or, gas tight bottom constructed in two sections,

D D, of any suitable material. We place this bottom D preferably a short distance below the top of the frame AA-sayone-third of the depth of the frame. I

In the joint formed by the hinge B, between the sections A A D D, is placed packing E, 7 of rubber or other suitable material, so that when the two sections are extended in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the packing E makes the joint between A A D D air or gas tight.

Upon or flush with the top of the frame A A is attached a wicker-work bed constructed in sections F, F, and G, the sectionF covering the section A of the bottom frame, and F and G covering the section A of the bottom frame. The section G of this wicker-work bed is hinged to the section F in such a manner that it can be raised at any angle desired for supporting the head of the body, and retained in place by means of the hinged brace H, operating in notches h in the under side of the frame of the section Gr, or laid down 011 a level with the remainder of the bed at the will of the operator.

Under the section A of the bottom frame, and attached to the under side of the bottom D there-in, we construct a bellows, I, the under side whereof is provided with an inlet-valve, J and an outlet-valve, J. These valves J and J. are provided with stops .1 and J by means I00 whereof either valve may be retained in a closed position by moving said stops by means of the handles J and J thereto attached.

The upper side of the bellows'I is also provided with two valvesan inlet-valve, L, and an outlet-valve,L-both of which communicate by suitable openings with the upper side of the bottom D D. These valves L and L are also provided with stops L and L which operate to retain the valves L andL in a closed position when desired. These stops L and L are operated by the handles L and L In Fig. 2 the operation of the bellows-valves J J and L L is illustrated by the arrows therein. It is manifest that byclosing the valve J and L the bellows I will operate to pump air or gas into the case, and by opening the valves J and L and closing the valves J and L the action of the bellows I will be reversed, and it will serve to exhaust the air or gas from the case.

The cover M is constructed of rubber cloth or other flexible gas-tight material, preferably in the shape illustrated by side elevation shown in Fig. 1 and the end elevation shown in Fig. 3.

Around the lower edge of the cover M, and securely attached thereto, is a light frame constructed in two sections, N N, of substantially the same size as the sections A A of the bottom frame. These sections N N are connected together by hinges 0, so arranged that the cover M and its frame N N can be conveniently folded together when not in use.

To support the cover M, is attached, near either end of the sections NN, and also near the hinges O, hinged supports P P P, arranged with hinged braces P P P, to retain them in position when used to support the cover. These supports P P P are attached, respectively, to the ends and center of the cover M, substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

Attached to the under side of the hinged sections N N of the cover is a strip of packin g, Q, of rubber or other suitable packing material so that when the cover-frame N N is clamped down to the bottom frame, A A, an air or gas tight joint is formed between them, so that the cover M may be filled with air or gas and the same retained therein until removed by means of the bellows I, hereinbefore described.

The parts N N and A A may be clamped together with any ordinary clamping device; but in Fig. 5 we have shown ihe form of clamps preferred and used by us in constructing this apparatus.

In this clamp R is a plate, which is firmly screwed to the sections A A of the bottom frame, to which is hinged the lever S. This lever S operates in the stirrup T, through the top whereof is screwed a hook, T, which may be lengthened or shortened at pleasure by screwing it farther in or out of the stirrup T.

U is a plate having a depression in the top thereof, which is fastened upon the top of the frame N N to receive the end of the hook T and prevent its slipping off in the operation of clamping the parts together. These clamps are attached to the bottom frame, A A,at such intervals as may be desired, sufficiently close together, however, to firmly clamp the parts N N to the bottom frame, A A.

In operating this device a gas-generator is preferably placed inside of the case, with the body and the cover clamped down upon the bottom frame, A A, so as to form an air or gas tight joint between them. Air is then pumped into the case by means of the bellows I, sufficient to nearly or quite fill the flexible cover M. The action of the gasgenerator inside of the case operates to charge the air therein with the gases used, which thoroughly surround the body therein being treated, permeating every part thereof. When it is desired to remove the body, the valves L and J of the bellows I are closed, and the valves L and J released, when the bellows, being operated, act to exhaust the spent gases and air mixed therewith from the case, after which the cover M can be unclamped and removed, and, if desired, the body left] yin g upon the wicker bed F F, which serves for that purpose in the same manner as an ordinary undertakers cooling-board.

When the apparatus is not in use, the parts can be folded together into a compact parcel, as is shown inFig. 4.

From the foregoing description of the construction and operation of the several parts of our improvement its operation and advantages are obvious to those skilled in the art to which it appertains without further description.

We are aware that flexible covered treatingcases have been heretofore constructed and used, and also that a patent has been heretofore allowed to A. S. Lovett for a flexible covered treatingcase Therefore, we do not broadly claim a flexible covered treating-case, the invention herein described being an improvement upon the invention hereinbefore referred to 5 but What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a treating-case for embalming dead bodies, a supporting-frame provided with a wicker bed adapted to receive and support a dead body, and a gas-tight bottom under said wicker bed, substantially as shown, hinged together near the center thereof, said hinged joint being provided with packing adapted to prevent the escape of air or gas therefrom, in combination with a flexible gas tight cover having a frame around the lower edge thereof, hinged together near the center thereof, substantially as shown, and packing between said cover-frame and supporting-frame, and means for clamping said frames together, and thereby forming a gas-tight joint between them, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a treating-case for embalming dead bodies, the combination of the hinged supporting-frame A A, provided with the wicker bed F F G, the gas-tight bottom DD, and the packing E in the joint between the parts A A and D D, with the flexible packing Q, the hinged cover-frame N N, the adjustable clamps S T T, and the flexible cover M, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a treating-ease for embalming dead bodies, the combination of the flexible gastight cover M, provided with the hinged frame 'N N, substantially as shown, the flexible P P, hinged to the said frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, in a treating-case for embalming dead bodies, of the following elements: a flexible gas-tight cover adapted to be clamped to or removed from the bottom of the case, a gas-tight bottom provided with a wicker bed adapted to support the body while being treated, and a doubleacting bellows attached to the under side of the bottom of the ease, adapted to be adjusted to pump air or gas into or remove the same from the case, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM T. BAKER. ARTHUR S. LOVETT. CHARLES D. VAN ET'IEN.

Witnesses:

HAROLD M. STURGEON, H. J. GURTZE. 

